Edmonds School District bonds sell out

The Edmonds School District sold all its bonds last month, totaling $42.4 million, according to distirct spokeswoman D.J. Jakala. These bonds will be used to fund the construction of the new Meadowdale Middle School and are part of the capital construction bond issue approved by voters in February 2006.

Plans call for the new two-story school to be built to the west of the existing school and open in fall 2011.

Fall management classes at EdCC

Effective project managers are in high demand, according to an Edmonds Community College program that trains people for the role with practical knowledge and experience.

The Project Management certificate, part of EdCC’s business management program, teaches valuable skills, such as planning and managing projects, creating schedules, identifying risks, allocating resources and building and working with teams.

The program can be completed in less than a year. Classes are offered days, evenings and online. Specializations include event planning, business information management, database theory and design, and systems analysis.

The program comes with an industry-recognized credential through a partnership with the Project Management Institute, a national membership organization.

Fall classes start Sept. 21. Prospective students can register now for several classes. For more information, call 425-640-1604, e-mail mgmt@edcc.edu or visit www.edcc.edu/pm.

Hilltop hosts swap shop

On Saturday, June 27, more than 60 students and family members from Hilltop Elementary in Lynnwood participated in a “swap shop” they organized to bring children together to exchange toys and learn about reusing and other important conservation methods.

While talking about how they can make a difference in their local community and in the world as a whole, the first- and second-grade students in Jamie Albert’s class at Hilltop decided they wanted to organize an event. The students chose reusing as their theme after doing research and discussing projects ideas that would really make a difference, she said.

Many children have toys and books that they no longer want to play with, but their old toys and books would be new to someone else, they decided. By coordinating the swap shop, each child who participated could bring in a gently used toy or book and in return, receive another item of their choosing, Albert said.

Parent and teacher volunteers helped sort through the donated items into age-appropriate categories while the children and families who came to the event cycled through stations, organized by the students with help from volunteers. The stations focused on conservation topics, including learning about landfills, reusing materials, picking up litter, and playing games with reusable products.

This project helped the students learn that they can make a difference, Albert said. Working together is an important part of that.

The students learned that “it’s a lot more fun when you work with other people,” she said. More than one person working toward a common goal can be more impactful, she said.

“Keep on reusing so the world gets better,” student Christian Todorakev said was an important message to learn from the event. “If you have a toy that you don’t use, give it to your friend so you don’t throw it away. Reuse!”